Coupon Terms

I made a post this week and used the Phrase "Cashed Out" and it caused a bit of confusion.  My life has been immersed in the couponing world for over 10 years and I often forget that terms are not known to everyone.
I'm going to make a list of terms and abbreviations that I use to help you out as a resource guide.  If there are others that I use that I don't include fire me off a message and I'll gladly respond.

CASH OUT-  I look at all the points that are sitting in loyalty cards as money.  While they only have a value within their loyalty card, there is a cash equivalent.  When the points are redeemed that is referred to as  CASHING OUT. For example, 20 000 PC Optimum points has a value of $20.  Upon 'cashing out' redeeming the points, I take $20 out of my budget and place it either on debt or in my vacation fund.

SCOP  (SCANNING CODE OF PRACTICE) Almost every store in Canada practices this but some need to be reminded since it is a loss to the company.  Always watch the register. If the shelf or flyer says the item is $5.99 and it rings in as $6.25 or any amount higher, you get the first one for free and all the others at the correct price.  If the item is over $10, $19.99 on the shelf and rings up as $20.50 you receive $10 off the item and should only pay $9.99 for the item.  If you end up getting the item for free it is a surprise.  Take that money from your budget and flop it on your DEBT it is FREE MONEY

PM- Price Match   No Frills, Giant Tiger and Walmart Price Match.  If you see the exact item advertised cheaper at another store show the flyer or the FLIPP app to the cashier and the first 4 items are at the competitor's price.  This will cut down on racing from store to store when shopping  No Frills no longer will PM to drug stores

BOGO- BUY ONE GET ONE FREE  Be careful with this.  There are always items that this is truly a remarkable deal, but most of the items are cheaper to buy 2 when there is a sale in the flyers.  If you are using coupons during a BOGO only one is permitted since only one item is being purchased

MIR- MAIL IN REBATE  Sometimes items have a MIR form on the back.  When the bar code and receipt are mailed with the form 4-6 weeks later the company sends you a cheque for a predetermined amount.  I then deposit this money back into my bank account since the money came from the budget originally.

NO NAME- Store brand of item vs the brand name.  Our Compliments is the No Name brand vs Lays

ONE COUPON PER TRANSACTION- Some coupons have written on the back that only one coupon can be used per order.  Not many actually say this, but if they do break your items into 2 transactions if you have more then one item with that coupon. 

ONE COUPON PER PURCHASE- Oh this one confuses people.  This means that one coupon can be used for each of the items.  For example, a coupon to save $1 off of a yogurt stating one per purchase you can use 15 coupons if you have 15 yogurts.

STACKING-  Back in the glory days of couponing, as long as each coupon had a different bar code some stores would let you use multiple coupons for one item.  This has pretty much been stopped

AM- Air Miles

GC- GIFT CARD  I try to use Gift Cards in my budget it helps me stay within the budget and it also helps earn me more points a few times a year when there are promotions with bonus points with purchase

OOP- This one stands for OUT OF POCKET  There are times when a deal is so good that only the tax is what I need to pay for, and that is referred to by couponers as Out of Pocket, the  money actually spent on the item.  For example, I had a $2 off coupon for shaving gel last year and it was on sale for $1.99  I just had to pay the taxes (taxes are ALWAYS on the item price before coupons) so OOP I paid 30 cents per can.  SCORE

CO51- Check Out 51 is a Cash Back app on your devices.  Receipts are uploaded and when $20 is hit in the account you can cash out and have a legit check mailed out to you

SDM- Shopper's Drug Mart

SS- Super Store

GT- Giant Tiger

PC PRESIDENT'S CHOICE 

It pays to be frugal.  Join Guess Who's Cheap on Facebook and my EBOOKS by Meghan Savings on Amazon

Jugs of Water

Ok, I have no idea if this idea saves you money, but it does save water.
I fill our water bottles and water jugs and keep them in the fridge.  I read online that if a fridge is full of items and water bottles and it will take less energy to power the fridge.  If nothing else, this tip helps my will.  I no longer turn the tap on and let it run until my water is cold.  Storing water bottles in the fridge at least keeps my water cold.
It pays to be frugal.

Know How Much You Use

Ok, this post and tip takes planning.  I wanted to know how much toilet paper my family uses.  I get coupons for toilet paper from time to time, and stock up.  However, there are times when I think my stock pile of toilet paper is excessive.

I wanted to know how much we use in an average year, and try to always have a year supply of it on hand.  In order to do that I needed to do some calculating and test my patience.
I filled up a section of our hall linen closet with 90 rolls of toilet paper. It took us 4 months to use it all.  Now I know that I need 270 rolls of toilet paper for the year.  As I fill up the linen closet with toilet paper, I will look to replenish the same amount when coupons are available.  No way would I pay regular price for toilet paper, sometimes its $9.99 and I get it for $2.99 with coupons.
It seems like a lot of work for me to figure this out, but it is one of the tips I do to save money.
It pays to be frugal.

Ebates, Free Money

A fast way to earn some free cash is Ebates.   If you are an online shopper, you can log into Ebates before shopping.  Each purchase earns a % back and once $5 is accumulated in  the account a cheque is mailed out.  Use this money as an extra payment on your debt, or sock it away in your vacation fund.
Sign up from my referral link and comment that you did, we each will earn a kick back.
Ebates:  Log in and earn cash back from your online shopping
 https://www.ebates.ca/referrer?referrerid=dmI00Ysp2yY%3D

It pays to be frugal.
Available on Amazon:

Make a New Outfit

I have a lot of clothes, yet I often feel that I have nothing to wear.  I get most of my clothes at Frenchy's or Value Village piece by piece rarely getting a whole outfit at a time.  Yet I have a lot of tops and bottoms.
I do like shopping in stores and seeing a complete outfit and purchasing it for that "together" look. 
My frugal tip gets messy!  I take all of my sweaters out of my storage trunk and put them on my bed.  Then I take all of my tops put them on the floor. I try to match up a top and a sweater or blazer with something that I haven't paired together before. 
I also usually find a few items during this process that don't fit properly and purge it at the same time.
At the start of a new season I do purchase a new top at a store that is trendy and throw it into the outfit rotation. 
This process takes less than an hour, and keeps me from going to the store and purchasing a few new outfits and that in turn can save hundreds of dollars!
It pays to be frugal.  

Lunch Box Idea

It's that time of year again...back to school.  Packing lunches every day can be just as hard on the head as the pocket book.  This past month I have been picking up items when they are on sale that would make treats in the lunch boxes for the girls and also for me. 
This week Special K bars are on sale for $1.99 at Sobeys, and also Quaker Granola bars are $1.67 a box.  The week before 4 packs of pudding was $1 a package. 
These are definitely treats, as well as a good deal.  I took a bin that was empty in the basement and dumped all the treats inside.  Then I put a note on the outside labeling 1.  The kids get to pick one each day to be in their lunch box.
My hope is this makes the mornings run smoothly!